Conservancy event blends nature, history and science in Union County

Yahoo

01-06-2025

LEWISBURG — The Dale-Engle-Walker Property on Saturday was the place to learn about biodiversity, fossils and history.
The Merrill W. Linn Land & Waterways Conservancy hosted the Living Landscape Program on the 137-acre property located at 1471 Strawbridge Road, Lewisburg. This event was in coordination with the Bucknell University Humanities Center and the Union County Historical Society.
"We're all around nature, but we don't necessarily know exactly what we're looking at," Thom Rippon, of White Springs, said. "It's important to understand that, especially in the farming part of Union County. We're learning today about both the geology and biology of our wonderful land."
Rippon, a member of the Conservancy, said he often participates in events like this.
"It's all about preserving nature, understanding nature and conserving nature," Rippon said.
Rippon and 25 people walked around the property to learn more about the geology, plants and wildlife and history of the land. Guest lecturers from Bucknell University were Dr. Beth Capaldi, Professor of Biology; Claire Campbell, Professor of History, History Department Chair, Affiliated Faculty in Environmental Studies & Sciences; and Dr. Jeff Trop, Professor of Geology.
More than 410 million years ago during the Silurian Period, the Dale-Engle-Walker Property was a tropical marine setting with a reef. The nearby limestone quarry is made up of organic debris from this time period, according to Trop.
Trop displayed limestone rocks with fossils in them as well as pointed out places in the 1793 house where fossils can also be located. He also explained that a few drops of acid on the limestone rocks can cause it to bubble and produce a sound and smell from the reaction.
Letti Graboski, 11, of Danville, said she loves coming to the programs because of the nature walks.
"The nature walks are calming," she said.
Irmgard Seidl-Adams, of Lewisburg, said she is a frequent visitor to the property. The Dale-Engle-Walker is a "real gem" in Union County, she said.
"The geology introduction was really nice, because I had no idea about the geology of this place," she said. "I've walked it many times. I love the plants on the ridge, but I had no idea. I'm happy with what we got."
Capaldi said many large trees were part of Pennsylvania until it was forested. Those trees held a lot of communities: insects eating the foilage as well as birds eating them.
"When forests are fragmented, it influences biodiversity by reducing it," Capaldi said. "It also changes ecosystem services. The ways that organisms can move naturally through normal, ecological processes of predation and competition are affected."
Capaldi said the property has many unique plant communities on the limestone rocks that only grow in habitats like these.
"When you go for a walk here, you're walking your dog or you're going to walk birds, there's a lot other things that are happening right behind the scenes, and that's one of the reasons why it's so valuable to us," Capaldi said.
Campbell said early settlers in early 18th and 19th century believed that nature needed to be improved by humans. They believed it was "wasted" until humans applied effort, intellect, capital, technology and labor to improve the land from its wild state.
She described it as a "sense of colonial entitlement, a sense of possibility of expansiveness and acquisition." Samuel Dale meant for the house to be impressive and a statement of ownership and possession.
The Conservancy will host a second part to the Living Landscape Program in the fall. The date is to be determined.